By Peter Halima
Meru, Kenya – President William Ruto has pledged to hire an additional 24,000 teachers by January 2026, further solidifying his commitment to improving the education sector in Kenya. This announcement, made during a speech in Meru on Saturday, June 21st, underscores the President’s focus on addressing critical challenges facing education, including teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure.
Ruto highlighted education as a key priority for his administration, alongside streamlining the health and agriculture sectors, boosting the economy, and creating job opportunities. He emphasized that the new teacher hires are part of a larger strategy to enhance the teacher-to-student ratio and support the ongoing implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
“You gave me the chance to lead Kenya,” President Ruto stated. “You told me a lot of issues you wanted me to correct to better the lives of Kenyans. You told me to look into the economy, agriculture, our children’s education, health, and job creation.”
He further elaborated on the challenges facing the education sector, including concerns surrounding the CBC, teacher understaffing, a lack of classrooms, and inadequate funding for universities.
“As of now, we have employed 76,000 new teachers, and before January 2026, we will have employed 24,000 teachers to have a total of 100,000,” he announced.
The commitment to employ 100,000 teachers by 2026 signifies a significant investment in the education sector under President Ruto’s leadership. It also suggests a long-term vision of hiring at least 110,000 new teachers by the end of his first term in 2027.
This latest promise comes as a welcome development for educators and parents alike, as the shortage of teachers has been a longstanding issue, particularly within the context of the newly implemented Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, which transitioned from CBC. The increased number of teachers is expected to alleviate pressure on existing educators and contribute to a more conducive learning environment for students across the country.
The government’s commitment to providing more resources to address the gaps in education, including infrastructure, learning materials, and university funding, signals a determined effort to revitalize the sector and ensure a brighter future for Kenyan students.
